Nick Kyrgios could make Indian Wells run a year after food poisoning forced him out

What to look for from the men at this years BNP Paribas Open.
Richard Lui/The Desert Sun

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Nick Kyrgios, of Australia, returns the ball to Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, in the men's 4th round at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, CA Wednesday, March 15, 2017.(Photo: Richard Lui/The Desert Sun)Buy Photo

Before Roger Federer won back-to-back Master’s 1000 titles last spring, BNP Paribas Open tournament director Tommy Haas took a phone call on the Thursday morning of the men’s quarterfinals here at Indian Wells. Nick Kyrgios was ill with what was believed to be food poisoning. He’d have to withdraw from his match with Federer.

Kyrgios had beaten both second-ranked Novak Djokovic and current No. 4 Alexander Zverev in straight sets before he gave Federer the walkover.

Two weeks later in Miami, Kyrgios beat No. 21 Ivo Karlovic, then again took down Zverev, and David Goffin — two current top 10 players — before three grueling tiebreakers in a narrow loss to Federer in the semifinals.

Federer was rightfully the story last spring with his two titles that helped further legitimize his stranglehold on the men’s professional tennis circuit. Yet what was lost in Federer’s re-emergence was the play of Kyrgios, who beat five top 25 players during the month of March — his one loss coming to the world’s preeminent tennis player.

The question following Kyrgios this week at Indian Wells is whether he can finish what he couldn’t last year at an event that suits him due to the warm, dry conditions that he says remind him of his native Australia.

His powerful serve should also benefit him at a place where the ball is known to fly due to the heat on the hardcourts.

“One of the greatest serves that we have on tour right now, which is a very useful weapon on the faster courts,” Zverev said of Kyrgios on Wednesday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. “Obviously, he knows how to play. He knows how to do every single shot in the book. When he’s really focused, when he’s really into it, he’s one of the toughest players to beat.”

Outside of Ivan Ljubicic, who won the BNP Paribas Open in 2010, only Federer, Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have won a men’s singles title since Lleyton Hewitt won it in 2003. Federer and Djokovic are each aiming for their sixth title here, and Nadal, who withdrew from Indian Wells last week, has won three.

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Nick Kyrgios, of Australia,yells in frustration during his match with Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, in the men's 4th round at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, CA Wednesday, March 15, 2017.(Photo: Richard Lui/The Desert Sun)

If that trend is to be broken this year, Kyrgios may be considered among the most likely to do it. At 22, he’s often referred to as one of the most physically talented players on the World Tour, and has begun to shed the mercurial label that followed him for a period as court outbursts occasionally overshadowed his brilliance on the court.

Kyrgios' mental approach to the game has aided an evolution of sorts.

“For me it’s finding the right balance, as I can just as easily go and beat a world No. 1 just as much as I can go and lose to someone ranked 200,” Kyrgios told The Desert Sun. “It’s (finding) the balance between getting up for the big ones and the not-so-big ones.”

A year ago at Indian Wells, against first-round opponent Horacio Zeballos, Kyrgios was heard offering compliments to his opponent after big shots. After Zeballos drilled a pair of aces past Kyrgios, the Aussie shouted back, “Nice serving!”

Whether those gestures were indeed genuine, only Kyrgios knows. But the fact that he can play in such a way, with less tension than in the past, is either an indication of his on-court maturity or that he’s elevated his game to a point where a pair of aces from his opponent will perhaps no longer enhance the stress on the court.

“The main thing is to stay healthy and happy," he said. "If I can achieve that, then I can achieve big things on the court. My health and mindset are key to how I approach my tennis both in training and in competition.”

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Nick Kyrgios, of Australia, hits autographed tennis ball into the stand after he upset Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, in the men's 4th round at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, CA Wednesday, March 15, 2017.(Photo: Richard Lui/The Desert Sun)

Kyrgios will play his first match at the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday against the winner of American Steve Johnson and Russia’s Danil Medvedev. He’s likely to meet South African Kevin Anderson, the seventh seed, in the third round, and could see third seed Grigor Dimitrov in the quarterfinals. He’s 1-5 against those two.

But regardless of who’s across the net from him, Kyrgios remains unfazed. He's beaten the best in the world, knocking off both Federer and Nadal on his first try, before his 21st birthday, and is unbeaten (2-0) versus Djokovic.

This year, Kyrgios arrived at Indian Wells a week early to relax, take in the Oracle Challenger Series and get some extra practice sessions in. He says his confidence is as high as ever, and fans at the BNP Paribas Open will now have an opportunity to see if anything other than a bout of food poisoning can stop him.

“He’s shown on many occasions that he can beat anybody he sets his mind to,” Zverev said. “(He’s) obviously a tremendous talent and we’ll see what the future holds for him.”